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To do Chinese or Japanese calligraphy, traditionally, the first step is to grind the ink.

Steps

1

Gather your supplies. A good ink stone will have a hard, polished surface. You don't want it too rough because a rough surface can damage the brush.

2

Fill the water pot, or well, with water.

3

Place a little water in the grinding stone.

4

Select the color of ink stick you will use.

5

Grasp the ink stick between your thumb and your index and middle fingers. Place the end of the ink stick into the water and pull some water up onto the plain of the grinding stone.

6

Rub the stick on the stone in a circular motion until you have the color of ink you need. If the ink is too thick, it will not flow easily off the brush. If the ink is too thin, the color will be light. Practice getting the right consistency.

7

Grind only the ink that you need for that day, and do not permit ink to dry in your ink stone. Clean the ink stone with water and a soft sponge or cloth. Never use anything that could damage the stone. Cover the stone to prevent the ink from drying if you will take a break.

References

Article Info

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has also been viewed 39,248 times.